My crystal ball

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

Going by the picture showing Speaker Joe de V and Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim holding hands during the groundbreaking of the Pantal bridge last week, it would indeed, appear that the two are well on the road to reconciliation. No wonder the amused crowd cheered them.

            Well, that was good while it lasted because that was all that there was to it. Palabas! Both decidedly played up to the crowd so as not to appear boorish and childish. It was time to play statesman solely for effect.

            Behind those smiles, one can detect that both knew they were clearly on the road to political perdition.

            The only question left is who will survive in the end.

***

            Perhaps it’s time to risk looking into my crystal ball on their fate. Here goes….papaum-mamaw… papaum-mamaw….ssshhhhhwhaaammmm!

            Hmmm… I see the image of Gloria Arroyo looming large (I didn’t say fat) behind the two Dagupenos eyeballing each other with their eyebrows sharply crooked. (Please don’t mistake this to be an apparition by the Mama Mary to the two… she’s just standing on a stool, that’s what!). JDV is on her right while BSL is on her left.

            I see her left hand covering BLS’s face, blocking the ray of light shining on Benjie’s face while tenderly touching the speaker’s right ear. (No, please don’t take this to indicate a presidential fetish!).

            It’s obvious to see that Mrs. Arroyo has the motherly smoothie for Speaker Joe touching his ear like that, but nothing but contempt for the mayor whom she has learned to be loyal only to two people – former President Ramos and himself.

            But wait, unknown to JDV and GMA, he slowly moves his right foot clearly with intent to kick the stool she’s standing on.

            Ooops… my crystal ball blacks out!

***

            What could all that mean? Let me hazard a guess here.

My sense is GMA is still her vindictive self, one who is not willing to forgive and forget. She will do all to prevent BSL from shining in the political arena and she is keen on making everyone learn a lesson on canine loyalty from BSL. She will make an example out of him… that a traitorous ingrate will never be forgiven because loyalty is paramount in her politics. And since lover-boy BSL loves to bask in the limelight… (He loves to croon and sing with a band especially when there are ladies in the crowd, doesn’t he?) GMA will make certain that he will not get his share of the political spotlight the next time around for as long as she’s standing on her stool (spell that as Malcanang). 

But by standing on her toes on the stool like that, GMA knows she is still perched dangerously and precariously as she tries to lord it over them…yet she can only trust that both JDV and BSL and their respective soldiers would not think of bumping her out of Malacanang.

             But why was she touching JDV’s ear? Aaah… methinks she wants him to know that how she will eventually treat him really depends on his own plan and ambition. Touching the ear can lead to a loving caress only as a seductress would …but only if he continues to protect her where she is – inside Malacanang.

But JDV must not be deceived. Her puny fingers can suddenly turn into a deadly witchy weapon. She can very well twist his ear till it bleeds if he should decide to stand in her way at anytime. She wants to be president and prime minister and she wants JDV to remember that by constantly touching his ear.  So as Kris A. would harp each night – Deal or No deal? What will it be Mr. JDV?

            Benjie’s sly foot movement intending to kick the stool from under GMA tells me that he knows he has to strike soon, realizing fully well that he can never shine with her standing tall behind him. He has to make her fall on her hunches, it’s his only chance to be congressman again. Is he plotting with Magdolo boys? I dunno about that.

            My final take of that scene is that politics between the two will largely depend on her stay in Malacanang. The two are not in control over their political fate, she is.

            If she stays in Malacanang till 2007, make JDV your kingpin. If she finds herself out, place your bets on BSL.  

Allow me to check on my crystal ball in a month or two to see how the scene eventually evolved from here.

            Yes, I’ll keep you posted.   

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